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ItemWhat Do We Really Mean by Rigor in Information Systems Research?( 2022-01-04)The term “rigor” entered the information systems (IS) vernacular nearly four decades ago to reflect an ideal that would help transform IS into a coherent research field. Today, rigor is often both claimed and demanded by IS authors as evidence for the worthiness of research. However, it seems that we, as an IS community, lack both a shared understanding of what this ideal represents or what qualifies as attaining this ideal. In this paper, we analyze the usage of the term “rigor” in four leading IS journals, aiming to grasp some of its meanings within the IS community. The findings reveal that “rigor” in IS has multiple meanings, denotes a variety of referents, and is used for various purposes. Yet, even if the exact meaning of rigor is unclear or ambiguous, many IS researchers are dissatisfied with the current level of rigor and demand more. In contrast, we argue that our research endeavors could benefit from relaxing, rather than intensifying, the need for rigor. ItemA Network-Graph Based IT Artifact Aiding the Theory Building Process( 2022-01-04)To support theory building, we introduce a network-graph based IT artifact to provide high recall during exploratory searches and high precision using knowledge gained through the literature discovery process. The use of network graphs, where all data is represented as a node, relationship, or property of either, offers a flexible and tailorable methodology able to accommodate the highly iterative process of theory building. This IT artifact was developed to enable aggregation and normalization of data from varied sources and formats to support the acquisition and assessment of literature needed throughout this process. Our goal in presenting this IT artifact is to promote an accessible and pragmatic approach addressing the varied challenges of Information Systems researchers during the information seeking process. ItemA Framework for Describing Theoretical Perspectives: Overview and Application to the Work System Perspective( 2022-01-04)This paper summarizes a framework for describing theoretical perspectives (an FDTP) and uses it to describe the work system perspective (WSP) in a way that integrates ideas that often had been discussed in isolation from each other. It also illustrates how the FDTP can support application of the WSP to the idea of digital transformation (DT). It discusses the general value of the FDTP along with potential applications. Item


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“Symmetry breaking and self-organisation in mouse development”
If you have a question about this talk, please contact Bobbie Claxton.
A defining feature of living systems is the capacity to break symmetry and generate well-defined forms and patterns through self-organisation. Our group aims to understand the principle of multi-cellular self-organisation using a well-suited model system: early mouse embryos. Mammalian eggs lack polarity and thus symmetry is broken during early embryogenesis. This symmetry breaking results in the formation of a blastocyst consisting of two major cell types, the inner cell mass and the trophectoderm, each distinct in its position and gene expression. Our recent studies unexpectedly revealed that morphogenesis and gene expression are highly dynamic and stochastically variable during this process. Determining which signal breaks the symmetry and how the blastocyst establishes a reproducible shape and pattern despite the preceding variability remains fundamental open questions in mammalian development. We have recently developed a unique set of experimental frameworks that integrate biology and physics. With this we aim to understand how molecular, cellular and physical signals are dynamically coupled across the scales for self-organisation during early mammalian development.
This talk is part of the Babraham Seminar series.
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Other listsType the title of a new list here British Antarctic Survey Happy Hour Seminar Series Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) History Month Department of History and Philosophy of Science Are there too may people? A head-to-head debate on overpopulation Mordell Lectures Other talksMartin Roth: »Widerrede!« Decision Theory for AI safety Imaging techniques and novel tools for early detection and intervention Anglo-Ottoman encounter in the Age of the Beloveds


Regulators have suggested that the tax windfall resulting from the new structure might be shared with customers in the form of bill credits to lower energy costs.
Keep reading at Utility Dive.
Is a policy analyst consultant for TCAP, a coalition of political subdivisions in Texas that purchase electricity in the deregulated market for their own governmental use. Because energy costs are typically a significant budget item to our members, TCAP is consistently looking for ways to save our members money, through cost-saving contracts, energy efficiency or demand response programs.


Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour is popular in America, with a majority (55%) supporting it in the latest
Economist/YouGov poll. But many Americans (26%) remain concerned that the minimum wage increase would ultimately hurt them and their families, with partisanship driving much of that fear.
The Congressional Budget Office released an analysis in February that projected a bill increasing the minimum wage would lift 900,000 Americans out of poverty—but also reduce employment by 1.4 million workers. On net, cumulative pay to affected workers would increase by $333 billion.
A measure in the $1.9 trillion stimulus package would have increased the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025. But the proposal did not make it into the final plan, which President Biden signed last Thursday.
Despite that, most Americans support (55%) a minimum wage increase, with two in five (40%) opposed. Republicans are one of the only groups solidly against it (21% support, 75% oppose). Those in households making at least $100k are split on the issue (47% to 49%).
There are a few reasons why Americans appear to support or oppose increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour. One in five (21%) believe this raise would directly benefit them and their family. But slightly more believe it would be a detriment, as one-quarter (26%) of Americans believe the increase would directly hurt their family. Two in five Americans (40%) think that it would not significantly impact their lives.
And these beliefs seem to drive support: Almost all Americans who believe a $15 minimum wage would directly help their families support the increase (95%). Even those who say the wage increase would not have a direct impact on their lives tend to favor it, by 65% to 31%. The greatest opposition comes from those who think the minimum wage increase will directly hurt their families. Among this group, only one in eight (12%) support it, while 85% are opposed.
There is an underlying partisan divide about whether the minimum wage increase will ultimately help or hurt families, which reaches across all income levels.
Republicans with a household income under $50,000 annually tend to say the wage increase would either harm them and their family (44%) or not impact them (36%). Just 7% of Democrats with a household income under $50,000 believe it would cause them personal harm, and 43% say it would not have an impact. One in ten Republicans in the lowest income bracket see the $15 per hour wage as something that would directly help them, compared to 39% of Democrats.
There is a similar pattern among those with household incomes between $50,000 to $100,000: Republicans believe the minimum wage increase would hurt their families by 48% to 5%, while Democrats in this income bracket are twice as likely to see the federal raise as helpful (31%) rather than harmful (15%).
Three in five Democrats with a household income above $100,000 (60%) do not think they would be directly impacted if the federal wage rose to $15 per hour, compared to 31% of Republicans. But, a majority of Republicans in the highest income bracket (55%) believe the move would directly hurt them and their families, the most likely group to believe this. Only 12% of Democrats in the same financial circumstances believe the wage increase would directly hurt them.
One in five high-income Democrats (20%) believe the $15 per hour transition would help their family, compared to 4% of Republicans in the same income group. These high-income Democrats are about twice as likely (20% to 9%) to think a minimum wage increase would help their family than Republicans from the lowest income bracket.
Methodology: The Economist survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,500 US Adult Citizens interviewed online between March 6 - 9, 2021. This sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the American Community Survey, conducted by the US Bureau of the Census, as well as 2016 Presidential vote, registration status, geographic region, and news interest. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of all US citizens. The margin of error is approximately 2.7% for the overall sample. Image: Getty


NanoApp
ECETOC’s NanoApp is a tool designed to define the boundaries of sets of similar nanoforms and to generate a justification for the REACH registration.
NanoApp helps registrants follow the European Chemical Agency (ECHA)’s new registration requirements for nanomaterials under the EU’s REACH legislation. It does this by creating and justifying ‘sets of similar nanoforms’ for a joint human health and environmental hazard, exposure and safety assessment.
The tool uses established criteria and rules that systematically evaluate similarity between nanoforms. On that basis, it concludes whether a set of nanoforms can be justified or not. Its decision logic follows the ECHA guidance in a transparent and evidence-based manner – covering primarily the ‘Appendix for nanoforms applicable to the Guidance on Registration and Substance Identification’.
Disclaimer
Please note that the tool is provided for personal use only. It should not be copied or forwarded to third parties. The tool has been subjected to thorough testing. Despite this, ECETOC does not guarantee that the ECETOC NanoApp works error-free. ECETOC is making this tool available for users to aid them in the safety assessment of their materials. ECETOC offers no warranty either to the reliability of the tool and of the provided information or to the conclusions or assumptions made by any user on the basis of the use of this tool or the use of such information. All usage is at the discretion of the user and ECETOC is not liable for any consequences resulting from such use.


A bill in Congress would require private health insurance plans that cover obstetric services to also cover infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization.
Fertility Concerns
Couples who get vaccinated against Covid do not reduce their chances of conceiving a child, but men who get infected with Covid do reduce their odds slightly.
Researchers advise clinicians to educate patients about the risks associated with ART when they provide pre-pregnancy counseling
Women who had experienced infertility had a 16% increased risk of heart failure compared with women who did not have an infertility history.


Proteome-wide measurements of protein turnover have largely ignored the impact of post-translational modifications (PTMs). To address this gap, we employ stable isotope labeling and mass spectrometry to measure the turnover of >120,000 peptidoforms including >33,000 phosphorylated, acetylated, and ubiquitinated peptides for >9,000 native proteins. This site-resolved protein turnover (SPOT) profiling discloses global and site-specific differences in turnover associated with the presence or absence of PTMs. While causal relationships may not always be immediately apparent, we speculate that PTMs with diverging turnover may distinguish states of differential protein stability, structure, localization, enzymatic activity, or protein-protein interactions. We show examples of how the turnover data may give insights into unknown functions of PTMs and provide a freely accessible online tool that allows interrogation and visualisation of all turnover data. The SPOT methodology is applicable to many cell types and modifications, offering the potential to prioritize PTMs for future functional investigations.
News New Nature Communications Paper: Linking post-translational modifications and protein turnover by site-resolved protein turnover profiling


Important: Property owners’ approval, refusal, and conditions for keeping pets at premises
Upon receiving the tenant’s request in the approved form, the property owner/manager must respond to the tenant’s request within 14 days. The response must be in writing and state the following:
•whether the property owner/manager approves or refuses the tenant’s request
•If the property owner/manager approves the tenant’s request subject to conditions, stating the conditions of the approval
•If the property owner/manager refuses the tenant’s request, stating the grounds for refusal and the reasons why they believe the grounds for refusal apply to the request.
The property owner/manager is taken to approve the keeping of the pet at the premises if:
•they do not respond to the request within 14 days after receiving the request, or
•the property owner/manager’s response does not comply with the requirement to state reasons for approval or refusal of the request, including the conditions of the approval. To simply state that ‘no pets are allowed’ is not enough to comply with the requirement to explain the reasons for a refusal.
The authorisation to keep the pet at the premises continues for the life of the pet and is not affected by the expiry date of a tenancy agreement if the tenant continues occupying the same premises under a new agreement or there is a change in the property owner or property manager.
Examples of reasonable conditions for approval of a pet include:
•The pet is to be kept outside because the stated pet is not a type of pet ordinarily kept inside.
•The pet can be kept inside, provided the carpets in the property are professionally cleaned at the end of
the tenancy.
•The property must be professionally fumigated at the end of the tenancy, as the stated pet is capable of carrying parasites that could infect the premises.
For more details on the rights and responsibilities around renting with a pet, please refer to the Renting with pets fact sheet from the RTA.


This report chronicles the strides made by worker centers around the United States to combat the widespread abuse of workers’ right to fair payment of wages, including successful efforts to recover millions in stolen wages and the passage of new wage theft laws. It notes too the prominent challenges of a broken system of enforcement and accountability.


As the public health crisis posed by COVID-19 worsens, many Americans across the country are experiencing significant financial shock. Service members, veterans, and military families are no exception.
Although veterans will continue to receive their benefits and active-duty service members will continue to receive their pay, some military personnel and their families are facing financial strain due to lost employment or changes in military orders. If you need financial assistance as a result of the pandemic, there is help.


Search for Articles Interdisciplinary Sciences Kazuki Hisatsune Toshitaka Yamakawa
As a method to prevent lifestyle diseases, normobaric hypoxic training has been attracting attention. However, its exercise load and safety in non-athletes remain unclear. In this study, 20 healthy university students underwent a 15-min exercise test in a normobaric hypoxic room set at two different oxygen concentrations (O2: 20% and 16%), and the exercise load and safety were evaluated. The test comprised walking within the upper and lower limits of the heart rate (HR) calculated via the Karvonen method. The results showed that in case of 16% O2, the same energy was consumed despite significantly lower walking speed and distance than those in case of 20% O2. Therefore, it is suggested that the Karvonen method is effective in setting the load for hypoxic training. In addition, real-time monitoring of arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) could be used to evaluate the safety of hypoxic training. Based on these results, we have developed a wearable pulse oximeter that can measure both HR and SpO2 from the earlobe and a dedicated smartphone application for analysis. If these can be practically applied, hypoxic training can be conducted safely that will contribute to the prevention of lifestyle diseases and the consequent extension of healthy life expectancy.


Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Training Mentor:
Mark Santillan, MD, PhD Research Project Serotonin signaling dysregulation and immunovascuar outcomes of preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is a devastating hypertensive disorder of pregnancy that impacts 5-10% of pregnancies and causes significant maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, the only available treatment for preeclampsia at present is delivery of the baby and placenta. This often results in premature delivery, which is also associated with significant risks to mother and baby. To better understand potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of preeclampsia, I am working to understand how serotonin dysregulation interrupts immune and vascular function in the context of the disease. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that, in addition to many central nervous system functions, also regulates vascular tone and blood platelet aggregation. To determine the role of serotonin dysregulation in preeclampsia, we are investigating serotonin dysregulation in an animal model of preeclampsia, as well as in clinical samples taken from women who experienced preeclampsia during pregnancy. We will use pharmacological and genetic manipulations to isolate particular targets of serotonin (e.g., receptors, downstream effectors, immune signaling molecules) that are disrupted in the context of preeclampsia, and determine whether targeting these factors might rescue immunovascular disease phenotypes. Collectively, it is our hope that these studies will indicate both targets for potential preeclampsia therapeutics, as well as biomarkers for improved detection of this often debilitating condition.


“Can I have a few moments of your time?”
Around 2009, pharmaceutical companies began realizing the benefits of patient involvement in research, but legal barriers minimized engagement. At this time, pharmaceutical companies did not have official patient-engagement branches, so outreach was often limited to patients they could access online (bloggers, social media influencers).
Since the immunology sectors of pharmaceutical companies had not yet formed patient engagement departments, conversations typically were not structured, casual phone conversations where patient advocates happily shared their opinions for no fee. By 2012, several companies began enlisting patient advocates to participate in advisory panels, in exchange for payment, but developed departments specializing in patient engagement in rheumatology did not become standard practice until a few years later.
CoPI: Advisory panels
Context: Research & Development


25 May Seth Robertson on the American Rescue Plan (ARP)
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) passed in March represents the largest potential federal funding investment in water and sewer infrastructure since the original EPA Construction Grant program in the 1970s and 1980s. This $1.3 TRILLION stimulus bill directs more than $8.9 BILLION in state and local funding to North Carolina.
One of the four primary eligible uses of these fund are investments in water and sewer infrastructure. While the ARP has the potential to fill the need for infrastructure grant funds, there will be substantial challenges in meeting the timing and other requirements for the state, local governments, engineers, and contractors to maximize the utilization of these funds.
This presentation will cover the federal legislation and all updated guidance, including best practices to prepare for the receipt and spending of funds and the requirements for ongoing administration and reporting. There will also be a discussion of other pending federal infrastructure funding and how it may depend on the success of the ARP.
Seth Robertson is currently the Vice President of Funding & Asset Management at WithersRavenel. He spent more than a decade with the State of North Carolina managing critical-need water and wastewater infrastructure programs, including the administration of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In his presentation
Maximizing American Rescue Plan Investment in Water and Sewer Infrastructure, he will share his decades of experience in obtaining and using state and federal funds to discuss how you can successfully manage ARP funding for your utility. This preview is part of our AWWA Speaker Preview series, which highlights the WithersRavenel staff invited to speak at the 2021 NC AWWA-WEA Spring Symposium.


Bridging the gap
eSource is the bridge between the protocol and the eCRF fields. To understand why, we need to understand what each does.
The protocol describes the purpose of the study, the core hypotheses, the endpoints that are to be collected, and the resulting procedures to be performed to support those endpoints. The eCRF then translates a subset of those endpoints (i.e., the ones collected by the research site) into target data fields to be completed by site personnel.
While the eCRF is a distillation of the key fields required for analysis, it does not cover all the specifications of the protocol. This is because the protocol specifies not only the target endpoints, but also the workflows that support those endpoints.
For instance, the protocol may specify that vitals are to be taken when the patient has been in sitting position for 5 minutes, and that the same arm is to be used throughout. These specifications ensure that blood pressure readings are done in a consistent manner, so that measurements can be compared across time, with less risk of confounding factors.
However, the eCRF usually includes only the diastolic and systolic measurements, and excludes those other data points regarding how the vitals were taken. Instead, those data fields are usually captured by research sites on their source forms, with subsequent review by the CRA to ensure compliance.
eSource – Critical to following the protocol
This is where eSource comes in. eSource translates the protocol into an actionable, logically sequenced series of visits and procedures that serve as a workflow tool for the research team. For instance, well written eSource will contain detailed and pop-up instructions to clarify requirements; branching logic to guide the team down the appropriate workflow path; and alerts and edit checks not only to flag inappropriate values but also action items, such as the need to re-educate patients or to document deviations.
eSource, therefore, is critical to ensure that sites are following the protocol, capturing not just the data necessary to populate the eCRF’s, but also ensuring that the data is captured in the manner the protocol requires. From a data management perspective, eSource makes the eCRF data
reliable, in that the data is meaningful and comparable across sites and subjects. This is different, and in addition to, the data being accurate and contemporaneous. Introducing the CRIO Model – CRIO eSource/EDC
With either CRIO’s eSource/EDC all-in-one solution or with our eSource to EDC integration (where CRIO’s eSource automatically populates the eCRF fields directly into the EDC), we give data managers immediate access to the data, with no need for data transcription by the sites into EDC or for manual source data verification.
Thus, eSource is a very powerful lever for sponsors. It enforces protocol compliance and makes the data in EDC Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, and Accurate (ALCOA) – the gold standard for clinical data.
Discover CRIO eSource/EDC.


ICCO expresses concerns over upcoming cocoa crops, with global production levels forecast for decline
West African cocoa production (picture ICAM)
The International Cocoa Organisation today has projected a notable 6% decline in global production of cocoa to 4.923 million tonnes for the 2021/22 season, amid major headwinds from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, trade disruptions and increased freight costs, writes Neill Barston.
According to the industry body, market uncertainties were likely to affect ‘the quantity, size, quality’ of crops next year – with concerns already being expressed for conditions on the ground for many farmers in the sector based in key supplier markets of Ghana and Ivory Coast.
The ICCO noted in its quarterly bulletin that there were several factors including adverse weather conditions and diseases are negatively affecting production for the ongoing season, which has seen observers express considerable fears for those in agricultural communities amid the pandemic, which has seen ‘farmgate’ prices continue to follow a downward path. Consequently, major concerns remain over the potential for farmers to earn a living wage from producing cocoa – with many still earning around $1 a day, which stands at significantly below present UN-defined poverty levels.
While production is expected to be down, the ICCO said that grindings are in fact expected to increase by almost 2% to 5.048 million tonnes, with the ICCO stating that the gap will be covered by a reduction in stocks of 9%.
While the ICCO explained there were concerning factors surrounding global geopolitical and economic challenges, cocoa demand for the first half of the 2021/22 season has so far sustained a positive stance.
Factors which contributed to the increase in cocoa demand include the resumption of activities in the air travel sector, which is a major gateway for chocolate sales as well as the recommencement of seasonal festivities. Positive quarterly earnings reports from major confectionary manufacturers for the period January – March 2022 also reveal that confectionery sales, which include chocolate, have picked up and are heading or at par with pre-COVID-19 era trends.
Since 1973, the ICCO has been working as an inter-governmental organisation, created under the auspices of the United Nations and operating within the framework of successive International Cocoa Agreements. The ICCO is headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It presently comprises 52 Members, of which 23 are cocoa exporting countries and 29 are cocoa importing countries. These Member countries together represent 97% of world cocoa exports and 80% of world cocoa imports.


The generous support we have received from community contributions has allowed Flagstaff Sports Institute to provide athletic training medical services and implementation of a safe concussion management protocol to over 35 athletic teams at local schools.
Over 300 youth athletes and students have been ImPACT tested. This test provides a baseline of an individual’s neurocognitive function. In the event of a concussion or injury, it can be used to determine the severity of the injury as well as a tool to help safely return an adolescent back to physical activity and athletics.
Over 200 athletes completed a six-week neuromuscular Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement Program (IPPEP) to significantly reduce their risk of sustaining a sports-related injury.
Additionally, 40 full-financial scholarships have been awarded for participation in the IPPEP worth over $3,500.
$7000 worth of scholarship money has been awarded to outstanding local multisport athletes who have demonstrated exceptional character and academic performance in the Champions of the Mountain Scholarship Award.


Meditation and mindfulness training is a growing part of corporate wellness initiatives. Meditation4Leadership’s services are designed to help participants achieve the wellness outcomes associated with developing a personal practice (i.e., reduced stress, greater focus, improved communications).
However, Meditation4Leadership programs also teach how to integrate these personal changes with a deeper understanding of how they can be used to thrive in the workplace and other social groups. A less stressed, more resilient work force leads to a more focused and effective organization.
Copyright ©2021 Meditation4Leadership.org. All rights reserved. Website by The Lubetkin Media Companies LLC.


MitoAction welcomes psychologist Carole Slipowitz PhD and Tufts Metabolism clinic nurse coordinator Maggie Orr RN M.Ed to discuss the challenges of dealing with a diagnosis of mitochondrial disease.
How do you cope with the unpredictable, invisible disease?
Any chronic illness can be overwhelming – for a child, a family, or an adult with the condition. However, due to the unpredictability, complexity of symptoms, and uncertain prognosis, a diagnosis of mitochondrial disease is especially stressful…and exhausting.
Maggie Orr is the nurse coordinator at the Tufts Medical Center Floating Hospital for Children in Boston; she has 10 years of prior experience with mitochondrial disease patients. Carole Slipowitz has over 20 years of experience as a psychologist; for the past 2 years she has served as a consultant to MitoAction’s Mito 411 support line.


Take a look around your home, and make a list of the items that show signs of wear and damage. Maybe your flooring is looking a bit worn in the high-traffic areas. Perhaps some of your windows have begun to leak, and maybe your oven creaks when you open it. Most of these problems can be corrected without you having to outright replace the offending item. You can instead hire a repair specialist and let them work their magic! Choosing repairs and restoration over replacement can save you a small fortune over time, and it is also better for the planet. Learn more in the articles provided here.
Although flat roofs are popular because of their resilience and resistance to storm and wind damage, they might develop problems down the road. Therefore, you might need to hire a commercial roofing contractor to replace the entire system at some point. But determining when to schedule the roof replacement isn't always easy. If you have noticed extensive roof damage, you probably wonder whether to replace or repair the system. Consider working with a commercial roofing contractor and pay attention to the following signs to know whether to replace your commercial flat roof.
1. Large Punctures or Tears
Flat roofs often have seams often covered with several layers of roofing materials. Over time, due to aging and normal wear, you might notice large punctures and tears along the seams on your flat roof. If you discover the damage on time, the commercial roofer might patch up the holes to extend the life of your roof. However, you might be forced to replace the entire system if the damage is beyond repair. Your contractor will help you determine the severity of the situation and recommend the best solution.
2. Extensive Water Pooling
One of the most common issues that flat roofs experience is water pooling. Over time, your roof might shift, slowly altering the slight slope that affects water drainage. Therefore, water tends to collect in dips and seams. When left unaddressed, the water gradually soaks into the inner layers of the roof. You may notice damp spots on walls and ceilings. The extra weight might cause the roof to appear sunken and eventually collapse. Before it gets there, consider working with a commercial roofing contractor to plan a roofing replacement.
3. Defective Flashing
Roofers recommend routine inspections to check the various roofing components, such as the gutters and flashing. The material is installed around protruding structures like the chimney to redirect moisture away from your building and roof.
The caulking holding the flashing in place might dry out, rendering it ineffective. Water may seep into the inner layers of the roof, causing leaks, damage, and mold growth. Widespread damage to the wooden part of the roof might cause rot and reduced structural integrity. Your roofer might recommend replacing the entire roof.
4. Adhesion Failure
Adhesives are often used to keep different layers of the roof membrane securely attached to the roofing structures. Due to age, fluctuating weather, poor maintenance, and bad ventilation, the adhesive might fail, and the membranes might become loose. Sometimes, you might notice that the surface of your roof looks bumpy or blistered. Delayed treatment allows water to seep into the inner layers of the roof and cause irreparable damage, which might make you replace the entire roofing system.
Always consult a commercial roofing contractor when you can't decide whether to repair or replace the roof. However, these are some situations that need an urgent commercial flat roof replacement. Contact a contractor to plan the project and install a new roof that meets your expectations.
Reach out to a company like Tillotson Enterprise Inc to learn more.


CARE Principles are backed by research.
The CARE Research Briefs, one for each of the CARE Principles, draw from interdisciplinary work to describe the empirical and theoretical supports that underlay each principle. As much as possible, they are written for a lay audience. Our hope is that these briefs will be useful for educators and school leaders trying to learn more about the research basis for antiracist education. The briefs are not intended to be an exhaustive survey of the literature; rather, they identify a few key concepts to explain what each principle means in practice, and why each is important for leaners and schools to succeed. Finally, they provide suggestions for implementation.
Put people, particularly students, at the center of instruction and champion the diverse and complex human experience.
Antiracist educators reject incomplete narratives that hide more than they reveal and they are adept at confronting hard histories in the classroom.
Antiracist educators recognize how dominant narratives perpetuate marginalization and they explicitly address power.
Antiracist educators understand intersectionality and recognize that all individuals are affected by living in a racialized society.
Antiracist educators focus on the complexity of systems, particularly those in schools.


Making Change Happen is a one-week intensive module that forms part of the core IMBA curriculum at IE Business School. This dynamic module provides students with the unique opportunity to interact with seasoned professionals and learn firsthand about different ways to approach change management initiatives.
This year IE is proud to have collaborated with another top consulting firm, a worldwide consulting leader, to actively engage you in a “Change Challenge.” Consultant representatives assumed the role of key decision makers within an organization and presented students with a practical “real life” problem. In turn, students were expected to analyze the issue within a condensed period of time and produced a proposal that detailed not only a solution, but more importantly a methodology on how to reach that solution.
This challenging exercise was intended to push students beyond their comfort zone, as they learned how to address complex issues that arise in change management processes. The climax of the week occurred as students presented their solutions internally to a team of IE Professors whom screened for the best semi-finalists. These eight semi-finalists then presented to a former partner of the consulting firm, who hand-picked four finalist groups to present on the last day of the module, where the Consultant representatives determined the overall winning team.
First published on the International MBA Blog.


Utilize ethnographic research, data analytics, and trends analysis to arm your teams with robust, actionable consumer metrics and insights that inform prioritization, solutioning, and decision-making.
Understand consumer actions, needs, emotions, and touchpoints to uncover opportunities and pursue the right innovative solutions.
Design-led activation across your strategies, services, and products with agility and speed to meet your business goals and exceed consumer expectations.
Imagine being able to directly track top and bottom-line performance to every initiative and understand how consumer insights were driving them. This is the ecosystem we have started to bring to life.
This BX Loop captures all data we need to know about our consumers, products, and services aligned to the journey to track direct CX-driven impact.
The Macro-journey we have built is not only an empathy tool, but a way to measure BCBSMA's impact on the member journey. By mapping metrics that measure the success of consumer actions, the Macro-journey allows us to understand CX’s direct impact on the business.
We have taken components of journey and service blueprint frameworks to build a micro-journey into an existing tool, Jira/Confluence. By building these components in existing tools, our aim is to increase adoption of CX insights while tracking the impact of the solutions.
Like all tools consumer journeys are only useful if people use them, so we developed prototypes and concepts that are implementable in existing tools. We are only scratching the surface of a powerful BX enterprise ecosystem that properly measures, tracks, and directs leadership’s decisions for BCBSMA.
Reach out with questions, comments, or requests for the CX team.


The pursuit of a good night’s sleep is a long and storied one, and we’ve come a long way from hoping a warm glass of milk will lay us to rest. Innovators in the field of sleep tech continue to push forward with beds, health sensors and more designed to restore and reinvigorate, giving integrators, hospitality professionals and more the power to deliver a much sought-after experience to guests and clients.
In this vein, Ergomotion, a longstanding expert in the field of sleep tech, has recently launched contactless health sensors for sleep monitoring that they will be showcasing at Booth #8519 at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as online this week.
Using subtle body movements, these sensors track patterns related to sleep issues like heart rate and respiratory disruptions, allowing for a more comprehensive and less invasive understanding for issues impacting sleep.
Ergomotion Brings Smart Beds, Sleep Systems, and Adjustable Bases to CES 2022
Ergomotion’s latest sleep solutions will also be on display, each using the new contactless sensors. These include:
Dawn House adjustable sleep system. ErgoSportive adjustable smart bed with GARMIN watch connectivity. Quest Connect adjustable bed base and connectable mobile app.
The company notes that the Dawn House sleep system is specifically designed for aging individuals, combining multiple safety features with the devices contactless health sensor system.
The system gathers metrics such as respiration, heart rate, snoring and sleep movement to determine patterns of sleep and measure occupant health. Features range from head and foot adjustment, anti-snore head adjustments and a rise-to-wake setting that trigger waking patterns naturally.
The ErgoSportive, meanwhile, is designed with sportive, health conscious customers in mind and is meant to serve as the lynchpin to every fitness routine. Sesnors provide 24/7 data for better recovery, exercise output and sleep health.
Rounding out the trio, the Quest Connect provides an adjustable as the foundation for unique, personalized automations, offering a truly holistic approach to sleep. Such automations include anti-snore solutions, rise-to-wake morning routines and rest-and-unwind end of day routines.
With each encompassing a unique demand and use-case, the products represent a versatile approach to tackling sleep concerns at all levels, providing integrators and care professionals the opportunity to craft a targeted sleep solution for multiple generations and needs.


Resources information to help you succeed
Our nutritional needs are easily influenced. Yet, we often forget just how easy it is for our body to fall into a deficiency in certain essential nutrients. Once you’ve fallen into a deficit, it can be challenging to regain the lost ground.
There are many aspects to big-box gyms that should turn you off the idea that they’re what you need. This article will explore the pros of ditching a big box gym and heading to a personal trainer in a studio or local gym.


The pandemic brought with it a major onslaught of new unemployment applications across the country, and exposed significant issues with unemployment insurance programs as well. Such programs play an important role in the social safety net by providing compensation to workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own.
Congress created four temporary unemployment insurance (UI) programs that expanded this vital safety net during the pandemic. Because of this important role and the risks GAO has seen in UI service delivery and oversight, we have added the UI system to our list of programs at “High Risk” for waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, or in need of transformation.
In today’s WatchBlog, we look at our three new reports (issued today) on UI. Two of our reports examined challenges states faced in implementing these programs, and the third examined challenges facing the UI system overall.
States struggled to meet record demand for UI, leaving some waiting for months to receive benefits
Officials in 10 states that we interviewed for our first and second reports told us that during the pandemic they faced challenges ramping up to meet the urgent, immense demand for benefits. These challenges included the overwhelming volume of claims submitted by historic numbers of unemployed workers, shortages of experienced staff, and IT issues. This caused backlogs and meant that some individuals seeking UI benefits (or claimants) went months without income.
Many of the claimants we spoke with in seven of these ten states told us they faced customer service difficulties, such as long call wait times and benefit payment delays. Some reported that they had to draw on savings or borrow money to meet basic financial needs while they waited for benefits.
We also found racial disparities in the receipt of benefits under one of the four temporary UI programs—the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. This program expanded benefits to gig workers, the self-employed, and others not typically eligible for unemployment support. We found substantial racial and ethnic disparities in the receipt of benefits through this program in three of the four states we analyzed. For example, in two states, we found that Black applicants were about half as likely to receive these benefits as White applicants. Results from national surveys show similar disparities in the receipt of these and other UI benefits.
The pandemic worsened longstanding challenges facing the UI system
Our third report examined challenges facing the UI system before the pandemic, including a shrinking portion of unemployed workers receiving benefits and legacy IT systems, as well as challenges that emerged during the pandemic.
During the pandemic, the risk of UI payment errors—including benefits paid to ineligible claimants and those due to fraud—greatly increased. The Department of Labor, which oversees state UI programs, estimated that these payment errors (or improper payments) increased from $8 billion for FY 2020 (9% error rate) to $78 billion for FY 2021 (19% error rate). Many of these estimated improper payments are due to unintentional errors, though many may be due to fraud. Federal and state investigations of UI fraud are ongoing.
Because these challenges pose significant risk to UI service delivery and have exposed the UI system to significant financial losses, we have added the UI system to our High Risk List. Our High Risk List highlights areas across the federal government that need immediate attention because they are especially vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement or need broad-based transformation.
Our recommendations to the Department of Labor for improving the UI system
Our three reports made five recommendations to the Department of Labor aimed at improving oversight and management of UI programs. These recommendations included those that would:
improve UI customer service, help plan for future emergencies, consider options to support unemployed workers with gig and self-employment, assess the extent and causes of racial inequities in the receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and develop and implement a plan to transform the UI system that supports effective service delivery and mitigates financial losses.
To learn more about our work on unemployment insurance, check out our new reports at GAO.gov.
Comments on GAO’s WatchBlog? Contact blog@gao.gov.


Shohei Fujimoto is known for his use of precisely controlled laser light, which he channels through half-transparent mirrors to explore perception and space.
This unique process creates the idea of a physical object in space, which exists on an optical axis sketched out by laser projectors. While the object appears real, it has no physical properties. The latter presents a psychological quandary: When presented with an object, the viewer will instinctively try to understand its physical nature. Fujimoto takes this assumption one step further. If the viewer sees an object as physical, he suggests, one also questions whether the object is alive or not – and then perhaps imbues it with traits such as consciousness or even a soul.


Whether you want to grow a new variety of oak tree or start a seedling, these tips will help you get started. Using a standard commercial potting mix based on peat moss is the safest way to start healthy seedlings. Keep the potting mix moist and weed-free until spring. During the winter months, protect your young seedlings from pests by covering them with hardware cloth. As they grow, gently lift the seedlings and plant them in the potting mix.
Storage of red oak acorns
Red oak acorns are perishable. They are classified as “recalcitrant” seeds because they are very fussy about living. They don’t like cold temperatures, dry air, or excessive heat. They also have a high potential for getting fungus. While the acorn will be green when picked from the tree, it will eventually turn brown and disintegrate. If stored incorrectly, you could end up with a rotten acorn.
When storing red oak acorns, be sure to remove the cups. This step is necessary because red oaks have higher levels of defensive chemicals than their white counterparts. You should also store them at room temperature. The acorns will sprout after a month or two in a refrigerator. They can be kept for years in a cool dry place, but they will not stay viable for long-term storage if exposed to moisture.
For optimal storage, red oak acorns need a stratification period of four to eight weeks before sowing. These acorns should be kept in a plastic bag with a partial or full-sealed top. You should not store acorns in a completely airtight plastic bag, as this can cause them to germinate before the weather outside is right for planting. Alternatively, use food storage bags or peat moss to keep the acorns moist. When storing acorns outdoors, be sure to place them in rodent-proof containers, like bins or buckets.
If you plan on planting the acorns, you must store them in a cool place. In a cool place, acorns can be stored in plastic bags that are partially opened or sealed. The temperature should be between forty and thirty percent. However, white oak acorns can sprout at 36-39 degrees and red oaks need at least 1000 hours of cold and 42 days to germinate. Red oak acorns should be planted in late April to ensure they receive optimum climate conditions.
Proper fertilization
Choosing the best fertilizer for oak trees is essential for their successful growth. It is important to note that fertilizers are only effective if applied during the right time. Applying fertilizer outside the growth season will reduce the effectiveness of the fertilizer and render your efforts useless. Besides nitrogen, oaks need trace elements in order to grow properly and produce chlorophyll, which gives their leaves a green look.
For acorn production to take place, your oak tree must receive ample sunlight. Deer feed on oak trees, making it necessary to fertilize the tree once a year. If deer are abundant, it is possible for the acorns to appear in the third year. You can also promote this by thinning the plant in an effective way. If your oaks are overcrowded, you can follow a thinning plan to give selected oaks more daylight.
When fertilizing oak tree seeds, it is important to remember that the area under the canopy is not the same as the area around the trunk. You should start from the outer edge of the tree’s drip line and extend the fertilizer into the soil within three feet of the tree’s trunk. Rake away any debris from the area to ensure that the fertilizer gets into the soil quickly. If necessary, use a Cyclone type hand seeder to distribute the granular fertilizer uniformly.
In addition to thinning out the canopy, fertilizing your oak tree with high-nitrogen fertilizers is important for promoting leaf growth. This will reduce the amount of sunlight exposure. Once it is fully grown, it will have enough leaves to cover the ground and be in the shade of the forest. A healthy oak tree provides shade and beauty to its surroundings. So, when you plan to plant an oak tree, be sure to follow the instructions carefully and choose the best fertilizer for the specific type of oak tree seed you have.
Planting of white oak acorns
There are two main methods for planting white oak acorns, i.e., direct planting and indirect planting. Direct planting works best for white oaks as they produce a large quantity of acorns in a short period of time. However, direct planting is not always suitable for all locations. This is because the oak tree grows at a different rate in different locations, so planting acorns from one type of tree in another location will not work well.
The first method is to prepare your planting area. You can prepare a shallow pit for planting the acorns. Ensure the hole is deep enough for the acorn to grow well. Next, amend the soil by adding one to two inches of potting soil or finished compost. Planting acorns should be performed once a week, and do not overwater. If acorn seedlings emerge, prune them to produce a dominant seedling. Once the acorns sprout, apply liquid fertilizer every six weeks.
Once you have prepared the planting site, you should wait for the acorns to germinate. The seeds will sprout in May, and they will grow up to fifteen cm in their first season. In two to three years, these oaks will grow to 30 to 50 cm in height. However, this is only a temporary measure. They will grow quickly and will require regular maintenance. This is the best way to grow healthy oak trees.
In addition to direct planting, acorn trees can also be planted in your yard. When planting acorn trees, keep in mind the distance between them. Acorn trees should not crowd neighboring trees and buildings. They should also not be planted in areas where they will shade power lines, water pipes, and sewer lines. Also, if planting them near power lines, make sure the tree will be growing at the correct height to benefit from the shade provided by other trees.
Biological seed dispersal
The biological seed dispersal of oak trees is a critical stage of life, influencing species’ biology in many ways. Trees’ dispersal is directly related to the behavior of animals that move seed, and several tree characteristics influence dispersal, including germination and survival. Tree dispersal affects forest structure and composition, as well as genetics. Tree squirrels are known seed dispersal agents, and they move diasporas from source trees to storage areas in microsites that are optimal for germination.
The genetic differences among oaks are primarily reflected in the different sizes of their seeds. Small mammals, such as foxes and squirrels, disperse most oak seedlings, while birds disperse fewer acorns. Small acorns produced during a particular season and site may increase the probability of bird dispersal. Some trees showed high rates of hybridisation.
Some species of squirrels, such as the Clark’s nutcracker, may disperse oak tree seeds. However, these species are not widespread and may contribute to seed dispersal by predation or pilferage. Therefore, the importance of nutcrackers in oak tree seed dispersal is unclear. Despite these problems, squirrels are an important part of oak seed dispersal.
Other plants also use animals to spread seeds, including jewelweed and touch-me-not. These plants use a ballistic mechanism to launch seedpods that explode when touched. Their flowers are five-petaled and grow in moist woodland soils. Besides mice, other plants use animals to disperse seeds. Squirrels bury acorns for the winter, but they sometimes forget where they buried them. Red oak acorns, on the other hand, are stored for later use.
Growing conditions for oak tree seedlings
When starting an oak tree nursery, the first step in propagation is choosing the right container. A pot of at least one foot in diameter will allow for good taproot formation, and a minimum of several lateral roots. The walls of the pot should have ribs that force lateral roots downward and discourage root spiraling. Alternatively, a hole with an open bottom is ideal. Mix a portion of potting soil with topsoil from the yard. Add a slow-release fertilizer to the mix.
Once the pots have been filled with soil, students should collect data on seedling growth from the entire class. Afterward, they can plot data on their graph and discuss the range of results. After collecting data, students should describe the proper growing conditions for an oak seedling, including the factors that allow it to thrive. A few tips include ensuring proper ventilation and moist soil. To ensure that seedlings grow properly, students can sign an adoption certificate.
When starting an oak tree, you should first choose a location where acorns fall. If you plant acorns directly from the tree, they may not be ripe enough to germinate. Therefore, you should pick up them soon after they fall. Acorns may lose their viability if they dry out, so pick up as many as you intend to plant. When choosing a spot, you can even plant more acorns than you intend to plant.
Oak trees grow best in full or partial sun. Their moderate water requirements make them suitable for most landscapes. However, they can tolerate periods of moderate drought. If you are planning to plant a mature oak, you can collect soil samples from an existing tree and incorporate it into the soil. This will introduce mycorrhizae, which aids in nutrient exchange. The soil should also be deep enough to support a mature oak tree.


Intravenous or subcutaneous? Scientists from the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health recently demonstrated that location of administration matters when it comes to personalized cancer vaccines. In their comparison of the two vaccination strategies, they identified a stem-like CD8+ T-cell population elicited by intravenous injection that has greater capacity to proliferate and replenish effector T cells, and kill tumor cells in combination with immune checkpoint therapy. Learn how a single cell view of the T-cell response to personalized cancer vaccines supported their conclusions.
Vaccines can be useful for more than defending us against viruses. Fundamentally, vaccines enable us to prime our immune systems against antigens—that is, exogenous molecular structures that are recognized by immune cells and promote an immune response. T cells are an important contributor to this defensive response. They’re activated when T-cell receptors recognize and bind to antigen-MHC complexes on the surface of antigen-presenting cells. Upon activation, antigen-specific T cells can proliferate and differentiate to take on other defensive roles that protect our bodies from the pathogen that yielded the original antigen. In their development, T cells and other immune players that mediate the immune response to antigens are carefully monitored and trained to avoid reacting with
self-antigens, meaning molecular structures derived from our own cells. This ensures that our immune systems do not betray us and focus on targeting foreign pathogens that cause disease. However, what if our own cells—for example, cancer cells—are the source of harm and disease? Can the same principles of vaccination be manipulated to treat cancer?
These questions form the conceptual basis of an emerging field of translational oncology that leverages personalized cancer vaccines to stimulate the immune system against cancer. To avoid autoreactivity, the vaccine approach relies on tumor neoantigens, a repertoire of unique peptides present on the surface of a patient’s cancer cells. Jiang et al. says
“From an immunological perspective, [a] tumor neoantigen is the truly foreign protein and entirely absent from normal human organs/tissues. For most human tumors without a viral etiology, tumor neoantigens could derive from a variety of nonsynonymous genetic alterations including single-nucleotide variants, insertions and deletions, gene fusions, frameshift mutations, and structural variants” (1). These neoantigens could be recognized by killer T cells in the body which could then be activated against cancer cells, in much the same way T cells would target virus-infected cells presenting viral antigens. The therapeutic approach culminated in 2014 when six melanoma patients at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis were the first people to receive an anticancer vaccine, which was composed of each patient’s own dendritic cells presenting digested cancer peptides derived from their own melanoma tumors. Of three patients the study authors subsequently reported on, none had adverse autoimmune events. In fact, two patients’ cancers remained stable while one patient experienced complete remission in the months following vaccination. Additionally, they were each shown to have a more diverse neoantigen-specific T-cell receptor repertoire, highlighting the potential of cancer vaccines to elicit antitumor immunity (2). Location matters for personalized cancer vaccines
The promise of this immunotherapy has led scientists to consider how to optimize cancer vaccine platforms, including how to package and deliver cancer peptides, where to inject the vaccine in order to elicit the most effective endogenous T-cell response, and at what optimal dosage to deliver antigen. Dr. Robert A. Seder and researchers from the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health are leading the way in this effort. Using a nanoparticle vaccination platform leveraging peptide adjuvants and co-delivery of a Toll-like receptor 7/8 (TLR7/8) agonist to ensure maturation of antigen-presenting cells (3), they sought to understand the differences in efficacy between intravenous and subcutaneous vaccination routes. Is one route more effective at delivering tumor neoantigens to T cells and ultimately notifying the immune system of resident cancer cells to target and destroy?
To test this, the research team vaccinated mice with a murine colon carcinoma neoantigen, Reps1. They quantified T cells in the blood of the mice using a tetramer staining assay—in which Reps1-bound MHC tetramers marked by a fluorophore can label and enable counting of neoantigen-specific T cells via flow cytometry. They observed that subcutaneous administration elicited
20-fold higher neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells compared to intravenous vaccination. Further annotation of this divergent T-cell response revealed that approximately 60% of neoantigen-specific T cells elicited by subcutaneous vaccination expressed surface markers for short-lived effector cells—T cells that perform cytotoxic killing or other immune activating functions—while 60% of those elicited by intravenous vaccination carried markers of CD8+ memory precursor effector cells—T cells that have not fully differentiated to the effector state, but are sensitive to antigen (4). The full extent of the phenotypic and transcriptional differences between these T-cell populations, and how they came to differentiate based on vaccination route, was still unclear however. Understanding the T-cell response to cancer vaccines with single cell RNA-seq
These findings confirmed that the route of vaccine administration could influence the type of T cells that were activated in response to tumor neoantigen. In order to more deeply characterize the identities and functional roles of these activated T cells—and determine which response was holistically more effective at producing antitumor immunity—the research team then turned to single cell RNA-sequencing. They collected spleens from another cohort of mice vaccinated either subcutaneously or intravenously, then enriched for antigen-specific CD8+ T cells via tetramer staining and flow cytometry. Differential gene expression analysis revealed 12 distinct T-cell clusters, with clear separation between clusters by vaccination route. T cells elicited by intravenous vaccination showed significant expression of stem cell–like genes, including
Tcf7, Slamf6, and Xcl1, as well as genes associated with T-cell exhaustion and anti-apoptotic processes. In contrast, T cells elicited by subcutaneous vaccination showed heightened expression of effector genes like Gzmb, Klrg1, Cx3cr1, and Zeb2, the latter of which is known to trigger cytotoxic T cells to adopt a terminally differentiated state. These insights confirmed that each vaccination route elicited a distinct T-cell response.
In order to determine relative antitumor efficacy, the team next established an in vivo mouse tumor model, treating the mice with vaccine and anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint therapy. Significantly, they found that though the numbers of neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells between both vaccination routes were of comparable magnitude, mice injected subcutaneously could not control tumor growth, while mice injected intravenously could and had extended survival. Flow cytometry analysis of the T-cell composition in the spleens of mice collected at day 14 of the treatment program confirmed that the majority of T cells were stem-like after intravenous vaccination. Additionally, at day 21 following intravenous vaccination, spleens taken from the mice had mostly differentiated to effector cells, suggesting the intravenous vaccination had elicited a prolonged antitumor response through stem-like T cells, which could proliferate and replenish effector cells. Why did intravenous vaccination produce these results? The team showed through in vivo imaging that it was likely due to differences in how, and how long, antigen-presenting dendritic cells were primed with antigen. While intravenous vaccination rapidly distributed antigen systemically, subcutaneous vaccination caused antigen to persist in the lymph nodes, driving an antigen-specific T-cell response that ultimately had lower proliferative potential as T cells became terminally differentiated (4).
New clinical implications for personalized cancer vaccines from single cell insights
The efficacy of personalized cancer vaccines, and other cancer immunotherapies, is ultimately determined by the magnitude and quality of the T-cell response. Can T cells infiltrate the tumor microenvironment and target cancer cells with precision? Can they kill the cancer cells effectively over time? Single cell approaches are helping researchers uncover deep insights into these crucial T-cell dynamics and work out clinical variables—from optimal dosage to route of vaccination—that can ensure the best possible results for patients as these new therapies advance to clinical trials, and on to more established treatment programs.
References: Jiang T, et al. Tumor neoantigens: from basic research to clinical applications. J of Hem & Onc12: 93, 2019. Carreno BM, et al. A dendritic cell vaccine increases the breadth and diversity of melanoma neoantigen-specific T cells. Science348: 803–808, 2015. Lynn G, et al. Peptide-TLR-7/8a conjugate vaccines chemically programmed for nanoparticle self-assembly enhance CD8 T cell immunity to tumor antigens. Nat Biotechnol38, 3: 320–332, 2020. Baharom F, et al. Intravenous nanoparticle vaccination generates stem-like TCF1+ neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Nat Immunol22, 1: 41–52, 2020.


In a unanimous decision issued in the case of
Electrical Contractor’s Inc. v. Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, SC 19105 (2014), the Connecticut Supreme Court recently declared that a public works payment bond surety does not forfeit its substantive defenses to a bond claim by failing either to pay or deny a claim within the statutorily prescribed 90-day period. The decision was issued in a lawsuit brought by a subcontractor and defended by Robinson+Cole on behalf of the payment bond surety. The ruling resolves a split of decisions at the Superior Court level and clarifies the rules of the road for both claimants and sureties.
The Court applied well-established canons of statutory interpretation to find that the statutory language stating that a surety “shall” pay or deny a claim within 90 days, absent a specific penalty for noncompliance, rendered the provision directory, rather than mandatory. Rather than finding an implied default provision, the Court held that a claimant who does not receive payment or a denial within 90 days should deem its claim as having been denied and may then bring suit. The Court’s decision was supported by public policy considerations, including the avoidance of an unwarranted windfall to the claimant resulting from a nonprejudicial delay in the surety’s response. In addition, the Court noted that a surety’s efforts to investigate a claim may often be hindered or delayed while it awaits information from the claimant and its bond principal.
To learn more about this decision read our article “Connecticut Supreme Court Rejects Effort to Read Default Liability Provision into Public Works Payment Bond Law.”


(Jamaica Observer) – The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has become the first court in the region to be accepted into the prestigious International Consortium for Court Excellence (ICCE).
The ICCE is an international network of courts and other organisations with expertise in court and judicial administration, dedicated to ensuring high-quality service delivery.
Just a few months shy of its 17th anniversary in April 2022, the CCJ has joined the ranks of other long-established organisations such as the Supreme Court of Singapore and the National Centre for States Courts of the United States that also belong to the ICCE.
To be accepted into the ICCE, organisations must demonstrate a commitment to excellence using an International Framework for Court Excellence (IFCE), a quality management system designed to help courts consistently improve their performance in seven core areas. These include court management and leadership, court policies, court proceedings, public trust and confidence, user satisfaction, court resources and affordable and accessible court services.
The IFCE was first introduced to the CCJ by its former President Sir Dennis Byron in 2016. Following an objective self-assessment undertaken by the court, several projects were subsequently initiated to address limitations identified from the assessment.


Displaying Ratings
Ratings provide a visual representation of a country’s performance on the indicator.
Legend
SDG achieved
Challenges remain
Significant challenges remain
Major challenges remain
Information unavailable
Description
Population living in slums is the proportion of the urban population living in slum households. A slum household is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living area, housing durability, and security of tenur
Long-Term Objective
The long-term objective for this indicator is a value of 0.
Reference
UN Habitat


Abstract
Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) maintain lifelong blood production and increase blood cell numbers in response to chronic and acute injury. However, the mechanism(s) by which inflammatory insults are communicated to HSCs and their consequences for HSC activity remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that interleukin-1 (IL-1), which functions as a key pro-inflammatory 'emergency'signal, directly accelerates cell division and myeloid differentiation of HSCs through precocious activation of a PU.1-dependent gene program. Although this effect is essential for rapid myeloid recovery following acute injury to the bone marrow, chronic IL-1 exposure restricts HSC lineage output, severely erodes HSC self-renewal capacity, and primes IL-1-exposed HSCs to fail massive replicative challenges such as transplantation. Importantly, these damaging effects are transient and fully reversible on IL-1 withdrawal. Our results identify a critical regulatory circuit that tailors HSC responses to acute needs, and is likely to underlie deregulated blood homeostasis in chronic inflammation conditions.
ASJC Scopus subject areas Cell Biology


When we talk about modern or contemporary arrangements of a space destined for organizing events, we must consider lighting as one of the main factors. After all, what would do a successful conference room, for example, without adequate lighting? The lighting should highlight the space and be functional without wasting energy. Canopy lights are the perfect lighting solution to any event space.
Choosing lighting fixtures with a sophisticated design is not an inspired option due to complex and expensive installation and maintenance. Besides, they may not fit well. On the other hand, canopy lights are excellent solutions for optimizing both indoor and outdoor areas dedicated to organizing significant events.
Canopy lights take up little space, so they are also suitable for smaller interior areas that must not be unnecessarily overloaded. They have a modern aspect, work with LEDs, and the light is evenly dispersed due to their shape. Canopy lights are first and foremost functional and do not distract people`s attention. They are resistant to humidity and temperature fluctuations.
Energy efficient LED canopy lights are also characterized by low energy consumption – 40% lower than in the case of traditional lights. Their lifespan is long, and they do not have UV emissions because they do not contain mercury or lead, being very friendly to the environment.


In re Stephanie H. Taylor, M.D., 2015 VT 95 (July 17, 2015) is an appeal of a medical licensing matter originally decided by the Board of Medical Practice in 2005, a review and reconsideration of which was sought by the Petitioner a decade later.
Issue: Petitioner sought the reinstatement of her medical license approximately nine years after agreeing to a “final and irrevocable” surrender and further agreeing to not seek “by any means licensure, reinstatement or relicensure… regardless of circumstances or the passage of time.” Despite the strong language of the original Stipulation entered as a Consent Order with the Board of Medical Practice, it was not contested that the Petitioner had the right to bring her claim or that the Board retained the authority to modify the “permanent” surrender. Instead, the issue presented to the Court was the sufficiency of the findings made by the Board after entertaining, but ultimately declining, Petitioner’s request for reinstatement. Holding: With a reluctant tone, the Supreme Court reversed and remanded. The Court held it was “constrained to agree” with Petitioner’s argument that the Board failed to make appropriate findings to support its decision to deny her request, and that a mere recitation of the parties’ arguments or evidence is not a substitute for findings of fact and conclusions of law. The Court further noted the deference it entrusts to the Board of Medical Practice depends substantially on the findings that underlie its decisions. On remand, the Court gave the Board broad latitude to consider only the existing record or, in the alternative, to reopen the entire matter for rehearing, including the circumstances leading to the original revocation of Petitioner’s license in 2005.


Abstract
Microorganisms thrive in well-organized biofilm ecosystems. Biofilm-associated cells typically show increased resistance to antibiotics and contribute significantly to treatment failure. This has prompted investigations aimed at developing advanced and novel antimicrobial approaches that could effectively overcome the shortcomings associated with conventional antibiotic therapy. Studies are ongoing to develop effective curative strategies ranging from the use of peptides, small molecules, nanoparticles to bacteriophages, sonic waves, and light energy targeting various structural and physiological aspects of biofilms. In photodynamic therapy, a light source of a specific wavelength is used to irradiate non-toxic photosensitizers such as tetrapyrroles, synthetic dyes or, naturally occurring compounds to generate reactive oxygen species that can exert a lethal effect on the microbe especially by disrupting the biofilm. The photosensitizer preferentially binds to and accumulates in the microbial cells without causing any damage to the host tissue. Currently, photodynamic therapy is increasingly being used for the treatment of oral caries and dental plaque, chronic wound infections, infected diabetic foot ulcers, cystic fibrosis, chronic sinusitis, implant device-associated infections, etc. This approach is recognized as safe, as it is non-toxic and minimally invasive, making it a reliable, realistic, and promising therapeutic strategy for reducing the microbial burden and biofilm formation in chronic infections. In this review article, we discuss the current and future potential strategies of utilizing photodynamic therapy to extend our ability to impede and eliminate biofilms in various medical conditions.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes Biophysics Oncology Dermatology Pharmacology (medical)


How can we change our lifestyle willingly? Question from the Internet: “How do we make a comprehensive war on waste a vital part of day-to-day living?”
Any meaningful change requires proper “education”, information share and effective practical implementation. Moreover, if we want people to fundamentally change their habits, we can’t convince them against their feelings, beliefs, we can’t coerce, threaten them, and we cannot use misleading propaganda.
From this, we can see that most of the things politicians, leaders, experts try to do today are by default flawed and can never lead to the right result.
We have to get people on board, only when they join the changes willingly, fully understanding that it serves their best interest will the changes become sustainable, permanent.
This is why we need a unique, purposeful, and highly practical educational method, that can help us recognize our actual, true nature, how by default we all excessively overconsume everything, how we all thrive towards ruthless competition and success, profit, survival at the expense of others and Nature — knowingly, unknowingly.
This educational method can help us look into a “brutally honest” mirror, seeing who we are, what desires, intentions drive us, how incompatible we are with Nature’s integral system — in safe, mutually supportive, mutually complementing conditions. And while we start to see who we are, how harmful our instinctive behavior is we immediately also receive the necessary, practical method to effectively change ourselves and how we relate to others and Nature around us.
Then we will gradually understand how reality works, how we can adapt ourselves to its laws, its system by changing ourselves. Then as a result of recognizing the system, we will also understand what our true, natural, modern and comfortable necessities are and what available resources we have.
Only then will we adjust our lives in a way that we won’t produce excessive waste, we do not consume beyond our needs and thus we actively contribute to Nature’s overall balance and homeostasis life depends on.


The Nutrition and Cash and Voucher (CVA) GTWG was re-invigorated in April 2021, with two new chairs at the helm of the group. Building on the work of the previous Reference Group which developed the Nutrition and CVA Evidence & Guidance Note, this group aims to map key initiatives using CVA for nutrition outcomes and identify technical knowledge gaps and implementation challenges. As a broad objective, the group aims to generate interest in CVA and nutrition outcomes and promote exchanges between relevant sectors and actors at the country, regional and global level particularly through knowledge management, capacity strengthening and advocacy. The group is currently co-chaired by Concern Worldwide and Save the Children.
During the final quarter of 2021, two meetings were held as well as additional meetings held with USAID’s Advancing Nutrition Initiative to discuss potential areas of collaboration and with CaLP to discuss Multipurpose Cash (MPC) Outcome Indicators. Guidance on Nutrition indicators for MPC was finalized during the quarter and presented to members of the GTWG for further discussion. Work on a mapping of initiatives and survey of gaps began in the quarter by a team of consultants. As a next step to this mapping work, the Nutrition and CVA GTWG aims to recruit a consultant for a capacity building package on CVA for Nutrition in Emergencies.


People with mood disorders, generalized anxiety and/or socialphobia often recommend psychodynamic therapy. Psychodynamic therapy aims to improve people’s self-esteem. Other psychological disorders have more specific goals, such as improving their sex life, overcoming a fear of public speaking, or quitting their obsessions. Listed below are some examples of different types of therapy and how they may be used.
The goal of humanistic therapy is to help people recognize and develop their own inherent goodness, rather than external factors. The therapist strives to foster a warm therapeutic relationship centered on the client’s unique world view. He or she believes that every individual is capable of psychological well-being and is good for their heart. Humanistic therapy seeks to empower the client’s inherent motivation for self-understanding and growth.
Client-centered therapy involves the therapist’s presence as a mirror, allowing the client to express and explore their feelings. The therapist also emphasizes empathy and non-judgmental acceptance of the client. Through this, the client can experience acceptance, growth, and self-acceptance. The therapist is not the authority figure, but instead an equal, nonjudgmental partner.
In the middle of the 20th century, humanistic psychology was developed. Humanistic psychology was born in response to the psychoanalysis and behaviorism theories. Abraham Maslow, a prominent figure of the humanistic movement in the 1950s, popularized humanistic psychological theory. This movement was instrumental in expanding psychology’s scope by incorporating creativity as well as individuality. When people become aware of their potential, they may seek it.
The May 1966 editorial published by the AAHP reaffirmed the commitment of a humanistic psychologist towards meaningness. This editorial argued against the dominant approach that relies on objectivity and significance. However, this approach does not rule out research. In fact, it highlights the importance of human science investigation and special forms of human psychology. Critics claim that traditional approaches to assessing the meaning of human experiences are inadequate.
Humanistic therapy focuses on developing empathy and meaning. Existential therapy focuses on the client’s freedom and responsibility. It may be particularly helpful in treatment of substance abuse disorders, which often require brief sessions. Its application to substance abuse disorders bolsters the therapeutic rapport. In addition, humanistic therapies aim to help people develop an acceptance of responsibility. Humanistic therapy can help clients realize their potential by focusing on self-awareness.


In Michigan, there are several degrees of the crime of home invasion, and the punishments vary accordingly. A person commits first degree home invasion, when they enter a dwelling without the owner’s permission and with the intent to commit a felony, either while the defendant was armed with a dangerous weapon or someone was lawfully present in the dwelling. A person convicted of first degree home invasion can face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
Compare that offense with third degree home invasion, which occurs when an individual enters a dwelling with the intent to commit a misdemeanor, or enters a dwelling and violates probation, parole, a protective order, or a bond or bail condition. For a conviction of this offense, an individual may be sentenced to up to five years in prison and a $2,000 fine. Thus, the maximum prison sentence for this offense is 15 years shorter than the maximum for a first degree offense conviction.
What does this mean for a Michigan resident who is facing allegations related to home invasion? It means that they may have criminal defense options available to them. In addition to challenging the prosecution’s evidence and arguing the state has not met its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, they can also challenge the severity of the offense charged. Doing so could lead to a favorable plea bargain, a lesser charge, and less severe penalties. To develop a sound legal strategy based on the unique facts of their case, accused individuals may want to speak with a qualified criminal defense attorney.
Source: Michigan Legislature, “Section 750.110a,” accessed on Feb. 24, 2017


April 14, 2021
In chemical manufacturing, situations and processes can continue across shifts and cannot be solved by a single person or team. Can you get all the information you need within the 15 minutes of the handover?
Imagine the following situation: We are in the situation where we as shift supervisor take over the shift from our predecessor at 6 o'clock in the morning. We now have exactly 15 minutes to do this handover. There is a lot to understand in this limited time; there are events that are still going on, there are pending safety tasks and additionally yesterday afternoon a new instruction of the plant manager was published that you do not yet know. The question is, can you get all the information you need within these 15 minutes?
Required: a solution beyond spreadsheets
Especially in chemical manufacturing, situations and processes can continue across shifts and cannot be solved by a single person or team. This underlines the importance of clearly showing the follow-up stories which problem-solving measures have already been initiated and how they have been addressed. The challenge is that different disciplines have to work together hand in hand on the shift and beyond.
This challenge should not be met by sending e-mails. When sending information via emails, an enormous amount of wastage is generated. We keep hearing from shift managers that after 4 days off you have to find out which of the emails are still valid. The same happens when everything is written into a Word file or Excel spreadsheet. These procedures would be misunderstood digitization. Instead, for successful digitization, the communication processes must be completely reworked.
Many organizations have addressed the growing need for plant data collection with a mix of paper and home-grown tools, often purpose-built logs for a single plant or operation. Over time, these bespoke solutions make it difficult to manage the change to fully automated digital technology. How can your organization bridge the gap?
Leading manufacturers leverage digitization in shift operations
Digitizing shift operations and especially shift handovers not only improves plant performance but also reduces risk and saves time. Software solutions can make events and operational data transparent throughout your organization, optimizing efficiency while maintaining a high level of safety. When choosing the right solution, it will be easy and fast to use, and will remove the burden of manual record-keeping for compliance and audits.
Managing shift handovers correctly is key to improving plant performance and reducing incidents. When handovers are conducted manually with handwritten notes and verbal instructions, mistakes and omissions are likely to occur frequently. That’s why the greatest likelihood of incidents occur within 30 minutes after a shift starts (Dr. TJ Larkin, Communication Consulting). What’s more, plant incidents are eight times more likely to occur during handovers, often due to a lack of digitized documentation regarding operations during the prior shift.
“All information is recorded centrally and can be accessed at the push of the button thus saving us a lot of time." says Francisco Rodriguez, plant manager at Bayer CropScience about implementing Shiftconnector.
Streamlining communications, makes it easier for operations personnel to access critical operational data, leveraging the investment in your corporate IT infrastructure. Implementing the right software solution, your company can consolidate shift communications on one global standard. It is key that Information can be easily managed so that important activities such as shift handovers, event logging, maintenance orders, and safety inspections are properly documented. This also ensures that Information is centrally stored, leaving a fully traceable audit trail.
Shiftconnector – it’s the smart way to get things done.


PRESS RELEASE
ESRB publishes EU Non-bank Financial Intermediation Risk Monitor 2022
15 July 2022
The European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) has today published the EU Non-bank Financial Intermediation Risk Monitor 2022 (NBFI Monitor). This is the seventh edition in an annual series monitoring systemic risks and vulnerabilities related to certain aspects of non-bank financial intermediation, including investment funds and other financial institutions (OFIs) such as financial vehicle corporations, security and derivative dealers and financial corporations engaged in lending. In 2021 the total assets of EU investment funds and OFIs grew by 9.2%, from €39.0 trillion to €42.6 trillion. The entity-based analysis is complemented by an activity-based assessment looking at risks and vulnerabilities in securities financing transactions, derivatives and securitisations which are used across entities and where risks can arise from the use and reuse of financial collateral.
This year’s edition of the NBFI Monitor highlights the following risks:
disorderly market corrections, possibly leading to losses, substantial redemption requests and liquidity strains for some investment funds holding less liquid assets; a rise in liquidity and credit risks as bond funds further increase their holdings of lower-rated and less liquid fixed income securities; excessive use of leverage and interconnectedness that might magnify shocks to financial stability.
To complement the main monitoring sections and support the identification of risk, the NBFI Monitor 2022 includes topical boxes and three special features. The first special feature uses Archegos as a case study to illustrate how excessive leverage and concentration risk can materialise. It also demonstrates how regulatory reporting can be used to monitor systemic risk and inform macroprudential policy decisions. The second special feature estimates the impact of an interest rate shock on bond funds using data on portfolio holdings and derivative exposures for a sample of the largest EU bond funds. The analysis shows that the effects for individual funds vary widely and that, for some bond funds, marked-to-market losses arising from a rise in interest rates could be substantial. Large losses could lead to increased redemptions and result in amplification effects, as asset fire sales could further exacerbate the initial shock to bond prices. The third special feature considers whether linkages between insurers and alternative investment funds (AIFs) could contribute to the propagation of risks for the latter. It demonstrates that risks related to liquidity transformation and leverage are similar across AIFs, irrespective of whether insurance companies hold a large proportion of a fund’s assets. The NBFI Monitor 2022 also provides an initial overview of how the war in Ukraine has affected non-bank financial intermediation.
For media queries, please contact William Lelieveldt , tel.: +49 69 1344 7316.


Dr. Richelle M. Crotty
In 2018, IMLS awarded a grant to the University of Texas where Dr. Sharon Strover and Dr. Marcia Mardis studied how small and rural libraries contribute to community resiliency after a disaster. We interviewed over 80 librarians and local organizations in small, rural communities in Texas and Florida about their roles before, during, and after a disaster. In particular, we asked the librarians to reflect on their experiences with Hurricane Michael in Florida, and Hurricane Harvey in Texas. In 2020, IMLS provided additional grant funding to understand how these libraries in Texas responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This research benefits the field by bringing to light the “invisible” and “unwritten” labor and contributions of librarians to disaster preparation, relief, and recovery efforts. Further, by investigating the best practices of these librarians this research helps librarians learn from their peers. Our research is rooted in conceptual issues around crisis response, the communication systems that root libraries in their communities, and finally, the processes that contribute to community resilience as they may bear on libraries. Our research questions asked:
How do small and rural libraries respond to disaster events and how do they interact with their community members?
How do libraries use information and communication technologies during and after disaster events? and
What institutional practices contribute to libraries’ resilience during and after disasters even as they contribute to their communities?
Two of our major findings from this project concern how librarians, as skilled information professionals, were or were not utilized during disasters, and how structural relationships with other organizations and with library systems also can aid in library resiliency. Identifying characteristics of resiliency can help librarians assess how their strategies aid in the resiliency of their libraries and the resiliency of their communities.
Librarians as skilled information professionals are on the frontline of disaster recovery by connecting those affected by a disaster to recovery resources. After the hurricanes, librarians connected patrons to FEMA, Red Cross, and local disaster relief organizations by providing meeting rooms, printing, faxing, and scanning services, notary services, access to temporary housing solutions, and to computers and the internet. These resources are vital to disaster recovery, particularly when many are prevented from connecting to the resources they need in a timely manner. Our study found that librarians played an informal, yet significant, role to coordinate the community response to hurricanes by connecting local government resources, disaster relief organizations, and faith-based organizations to the people who needed these services the most. During the pandemic, these library resources were equally important, particularly for unemployment aid, taxes, healthcare, and other aid programs. We found that some disaster relief workers were able to use librarians effectively, while others didn't.
The structural organization of libraries also aided in resiliency. We found that certain library systems, for example, county-wide systems, gave their libraries a “seat at the table” in community decision-making processes for disaster planning and recovery. For example, Brazoria County in Texas and Bay County in Florida provided their librarians with greater shared resources and strategies than libraries without similar organizational structures. Strong relationships between local libraries and local governments can be impactful; however, the county-level system permitted dedicated administrative staff to support librarians as they responded to hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic. This helped librarians respond more effectively to disasters, and also permitted the local government and disaster aid organizations to better understand how to effectively utilize the skillsets of librarians during a disaster.
Providing a backbone organization to library operations helped the library system participate in local decision-making processes and helped librarians contribute to relief efforts in a more systematic effort. Librarians are unsung heroes for small, rural communities in times of disaster, and our research concluded that local governments need to include libraries in local disaster mitigation plans to ensure community resiliency.


Abstract
Peripheral somatosensory neurons innervate the skin and sense the environment. Whereas many studies focus on initial axon outgrowth and pathfinding, how signaling pathways contribute to maintenance of the established axon arbors and terminals within the skin is largely unknown. This question is particularly relevant to the many types of neuropathies that affect mature neuronal arbors. We show that a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), c-Kit, contributes to maintenance, but not initial development, of cutaneous axons in the larval zebrafish before sex determination. Downregulation of Kit signaling rapidly induced retraction of established axon terminals in the skin and a reduction in axonal density. Conversely, misexpression of c-Kit ligand in the skin in larval zebrafish induced increases in local sensory axon density, suggesting an important role for Kit signaling in cutaneous axon maintenance. We found Src family kinases (SFKs) act directly downstream to mediate Kit's role in regulating cutaneous axon density. Our data demonstrate a requirement for skin-to-axon signaling to maintain axonal networks and elucidate novel roles for Kit and SFK signaling in this context. This Kit-SFK signaling axis offers a potential pathway to therapeutically target in sensory neuropathies and to further explore in other neurobiological processes.
SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The skin is full of small nerve endings that sense different environmental stimuli. How these nerve endings grow and reach a specific area of the skin during development has been the focus of many studies. In contrast, the cellular and molecular mechanisms required to maintain the function and health of these structures is relatively unknown. We discovered that a specific receptor in sensory neurons, c-Kit, is required to maintain the density of nerve endings in the skin. Furthermore, we found that a molecular target of c-Kit, Src family kinases (SFKs), is necessary for this role. Thus, c-Kit/SFK signaling regulates density and maintenance of sensory nerve endings in the skin and may have important roles in neural disease and regeneration.


The Modern Slavery Act of 2015 is a UK law that requires organizations to publicly communicate their practices to ensure that forced labor, human trafficking, and other forms of involuntary servitude are not taking place in their businesses or supply chains. The "Transparency in Supply Chains" section of the Act (Part 6, Section 54) defines what form this should take for third-party relationships.
Prevalent helps organizations apply a rigorous level of due diligence to suppliers by determining if a public statement exists, and by validating policies and processes through Modern Slavery risk assessments and continuous external monitoring of their real-world practices. Armed with these insights, organizations improve their visibility into their supply chain partners' labor practices, reducing the risk of reputational damage.
Publish an annual statement detailing the steps taken to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place in the business or supply chain
Improve due diligence on suppliers to ensure they are adhering to the law
Navigate the TPRM Compliance Landscape
The Third-Party Risk Management Compliance Handbook reveals TPRM requirements in key regulations and industry frameworks, so you can achieve compliance while mitigating vendor risk.
Rapidly pre-screen vendors using a library of continuously updated risk profiles based on inherent/residual risk, assessment results and real-time reputational monitoring.
Tap into 550,000+ sources of vendor intelligence to build a comprehensive supplier profile that includes industry and business insights and maps potentially risky 4th-party relationships.
Use a simple assessment with clear scoring to track and quantify inherent risks for all onboarded suppliers.
Leverage Prevalent's built-in Modern Slavery assessment to determine adherence to policies. Review and approve assessment responses to automatically register risks or reject responses and request additional input.
Automatically identify if a Modern Slavery Statement exists on the websites of over 18,000 companies to support compliance validation activities.
Validate assessment results and gain continuous supplier insights from over 550,000 public and private sources of reputational information, including negative news, regulatory and legal actions, sanctions, adverse media, OFAC violations, and more.
Normalize, correlate and analyze assessment results and continuous monitoring intelligence for unified reporting and remediation.
Take actionable steps to reduce modern slavery exposure with built-in remediation recommendations and guidance.
Store and distribute Modern Slavery policy documents for dialog and attestation.
Visualize and address compliance requirements by automatically mapping assessment results to Modern Slavery requirements.
Identify relationships between your organization and third, fourth and Nth parties to discover dependencies and assess your exposure.
Managing ESG Risks Across the Extended Enterprise
This analyst report from GRC 20/20 uncovers best practices for including ESG in your third-party risk management program.